By Kent Gray
Jumeirah Golf Estates’ world-class training academy has jettisoned its European Tour endorsement to put Peter Cowen’s name above the door.

Formerly the European Tour Performance Institute, JGE’s facility will become the third Peter Cowen Golf Academy to fall under the auspices of Dubai Golf, joining academies at Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

A long-held industry secret, the partnership between the world-renowned English coach to the stars and the host venue of the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship was confirmed on Wednesday.

Cowen coaches some of the biggest names in the game including 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson, 2016 DP World Tour Championship winner Matthew Fitzpatrick and former world No.1 Lee Westwood. He also helps three-time major champion Brooks Koepka with his short game.

The announcement comes after Dubai Golf assumed management of JGE in October, meaning it oversees Dubai’s two European Tour venues. Emirates G.C. hosted the 30th-anniversary edition of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in January.

Related: Dubai Golf assumes management of Jumeirah Golf Estates

“I have been coming to Dubai and Jumeirah Golf Estates for a number of years now and I am very proud of my association with the club, with many of my players enjoying success at the DP World Tour Championship,” said Cowen.

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Cowen works with many of the game’s biggest names including former Open champion Henrik Stenson.

“The Peter Cowen Golf Academy Dubai will be a place for all players from beginners through to elite to come and get the most out of their game. The facilities at Jumeirah Golf Estates are unparalleled to anywhere in the world, and the players whom I work with around the time of the DP World Championship and Omega Dubai Desert Classic love to use the club and its facilities. I look forward to continuing my relationship with Jumeirah Golf Estates and Dubai Golf for many years to come.”

The Peter Cowen Golf Academy Dubai at JGE will officially open its doors late this month.

The post ETPI at Jumeirah Golf Estates becomes Dubai’s third Peter Cowen Golf Academy appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
With two internationally-acclaimed, Greg Norman-designed golf courses on your doorstep, Jumeirah Golf Estates is one of the world’s most desirable golf communities. Mind you, scribble on the dotted line to own “The Signature” at Wild Flower, and your game is in serious danger because you may never want to leave home. Drawing inspiration from authentic Tuscan design, this bespoke, custom-built five bedroom (all en-suite) villa offers sweeping views over your infinity pool, across JGE and beyond to Dubai’s Marina skyline. But the real magic is within this 9300 sqft property with all the mod cons to complement the stylish Italian design including fully integrated home automation systems. There’s even an integrated fragrance system. Fancy.

Below the bedrooms, a huge lobby leads into an expansive combined living and dining room with two standard kitchens, family room and guest room. Externally, there’s a maid and drivers room. Maybe rustle up the chauffeur to get you to Earth or Fire for some world-class golf, or head straight to JGE’s European Tour Performance Institute where they’ll work on that neglected game of yours. The Signature has that on its doorstep too.

For more information, contact:
Byron Kraemer, Managing Partner
Tel: +971 4 347 9954, Mobile: +971 50 644 2305
Email: byron@landhouse.ae

golfhomes.ae

The post Real Estate: The ‘Signature’ at Jumeirah Golf Estates is the stuff of golfing fantasies appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 26-year-old Frenchman, who trains out of the European Tour Performance Institute [EPTI] at JGE, got up and down on the 72nd hole at The Dutch for a closing 69 Sunday to claim his maiden European Tour title by a stroke from Canadian Austin Connelly.

Wattel, who had recorded 25 top-ten finishes in his previous 186 events without tasting victory, joins fellow Dubai-residents Alvaro Quiros (Rocco Forte Open in May), Rafa Cabrera Bello (July’s Scottish Open) and Adrian Otaegui (Paul Lawrie Match Play last month) as winners this season.

“I have been in contention before and while I had not won before I knew what I had to do,” said Wattel who had not finished better than 24th in any of his previous 20 events this season.

“I knew what I had to expect and thankfully this time it was my week. It feels amazing to win for the first time…I am so happy right now.”

Getty Images
Wattel, who trains at Dubai’s ETPI, banked €300,000 after claiming his maiden European Tour win.

The win saw Wattel go from season earnings of €183,348 to €483,348 in an instant and leap frog from 130th in the Race to Dubai standings to 55th.

It leaves him in prime position to earn one of 60 spots in the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship at his home JGE from November 16-19.

“With the Ryder Cup being played in France next year, it would be fantastic to see a Frenchman make it in to the European team,” Nick Tarratt, the Director of the European Tour International Dubai office, also noted.

“We wish Romain all the best in his quest to qualify for the season finale in November and for The Ryder Cup next year.”

Wattel started the final round in Spijk a shot adrift of Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat but birdied three of his first six holes to snare the lead.

He stayed in control until the wobble on the last when he missed the green with his approach but a delightful up-and-down got the job done.

Connelly’s runner-up finish at the KLM Open earned him a healthy tally of 200,000 points. He now leapfrogs from 123rd to 71st place in the Race to Dubai rankings and on the cusp of qualifying for the DP World Tour Championship.

Meanwhile George Coetzee and Eddie Pepperell picked up a much-needed 73,500 points each as they finished tied for third place with Wattel’s fellow Dubai resident Sebastian Heisele plus Lee Westwood, Justin Walters and Joel Salter to put themselves in a better position to break in to the top 60 in the Race to Dubai Rankings.

Coetzee moves to 64th while Pepperell is in 75th spot. Westwood, improved his rankings position one place from 26th to 25th, Heisel moves from 162nd to 131st, Walters from 146th to 122nd and Salter from 157th to 129th.

There was also movement on top of the Race to Dubai as Bernd Wiesberger’s top ten finish in the Netherlands saw him surpass Rory McIlroy for ninth spot in the rankings.

The post JGE celebrate as Dubai-resident Wattel wins KLM Open at The Dutch appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Dornan is in Dubai promoting the new Long Drive World Series which will take its global bow at Jumeirah Golf Estates on March 17.

The 31-year-old Londoner and two-time reigning world champion Joe Miller headline a who’s who of the long driving world confirmed for the inaugural £50,000 (US$62,000) event which will be streamed live around the globe and proceeds tournaments earmarked for London, Asia and the U.S.

The JGE tournament will also feature two wildcard picks, one of which is open to a UAE amateur via a qualifying tournament launched by Dornan Monday at eGolf Megastore’s Al Wasl shop.

Dornan gave the store’s X-Golf simulator, and the ear drums of shoppers on hand for the made to media promo, a fright to launch the Long Drive World Series.

With his 415 yard marker laid down, weekend warriors are now invited in store for the next three weeks to try and qualify for the main event on the European Tour Performance Institute driving range at JGE which will have all the usual long drive razzmatazz including pyrotechnics and onsite DJ.

Lucas Dornan had the X Golf simulator at eGolf Megastore spitting out some spectacular numbers on Monday including this bomb

Like normal long drive competitions, amateurs will be given three minutes on the simulator (eight balls max) to be crowned the UAE’s longest amateur and must keep their ball inside a grid that is 100 yards wide. The grid for JGE will be an even narrower 60 yards and 550 yards long – with the aim of winning the event and breaking the current world record of 515 yards.

The weekend warrior winner mightn’t be able to compete with the long ball pros at JGE – Miller’s winning drive at last year’s world championships was 423 yards (he hit a 439 yarder in the semifinals), while Dornan’s competition best was four yards longer – but they will surely savour the experience.

Two-time former world champion Tim Burke, fellow American and reigning two-time European champion Maurice Allen, Britain’s (2016 Italian champion), Serbia’s Ilija Djurdjevic (2016 Portugal champion) Sweden’s Emil Rosberg (2016 Scandinavian champion) and current world No.2 Ryan Steenberg are also lined up.

“This event promises to inject some real glamour into the sport that I love and I am very proud to be lining up alongside these players…they really are the cream of the crop,” Dornan said.

“We will we push each other to our limits and in the right conditions, I expect to see drives well in excess of 400 yards across the board.”

The JGE event includes an open qualifier on March 16 to secure the other wildcard spot. The final the following day will run into the evening.

Said Miller: “I am really excited to be competing in Dubai in the first Long Drive World Series… an amazing location with an elite field of proven winners from around the world. It’s going to be an exciting event and hopefully I can reign in the desert.”

Photo by Kristina Nabieva

The post Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates <br> to host £50,000 Long Drive <br> World Series opener appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Dubai-based teen Zubair Firdaus has just scored a 12-month residential scholarship to the Hills Academy in Queensland, Australia on the back of his recent victory at the AmBank International Junior Golf Championship in Malaysia.

The 14-year-old is an elite junior squad member at the European Tour Performance Institute (EPTI) and is reaping the benefits of 18-months hard work at the Jumeriah Golf Estates facility.

As well as topping the 13-14-year-old boys’ category in Malaysia, Firdaus carded the top gross score in the under-18s category against 120 competitors to clinch the scholarship worth more than AED 120,000 ($32,000).

Mark Gregson-Walters, Director of Instruction at the EPTI, sees a bright future for one of his star pupils. As well as the win in Malaysia, Firdaus has also captured the Emirates Junior Open, the Abu Dhabi Golf Club Junior Open and the Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Junior Open in the past two months.

“At the European Tour Performance Institute, we are committed to developing and nurturing talent, particularly when it comes to the next generation of golfers. Zubair is a shining example of a local young athlete who is talented, hardworking and determined to improve his skills and compete at the highest level for his age group,” Gregson-Walters said.

“With the support of our team at the world-class ETPI facility, Zubair has excelled. We are not only proud of his achievements to date but there is genuine excitement about watching him grow, and realising his potential for future success.”

Recently voted as ‘Golf Academy of the Year’ at the 2016 Middle East Golf Awards, the EPTI is a state-of-art instructional facilities offering an unrivalled teaching and practice experience and the chance to rub shoulders with some of the game’s biggest names as Firdaus did recently meeting Open champion Henrik Stenson (pictured below on the range at JGE).

It features the latest swing analysis studios, a full gym with personal trainers, along with wellbeing services such as nutritional consultancy and sports massage.

Main image courtesy Emirates Golf Federation

The post Dubai teen Zubair Firdaus <br> wins $32,000 scholarship <br> to Australian academy appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.